1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sensing apparatus and control method thereof, which allow user's customization of colors.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, digital cameras have become popular, and many users increasingly have the opportunity of using digital cameras. For this reason, the users' needs for digital cameras have expanded. An example of such needs is good color reproducibility. The color reproducibility characteristics as a goal of each vendor aim at an average color reproduction that most users prefer. However, since users have different taste, it is impossible to realize color reproducibility which meets the needs of all users.
To solve this problem, a digital camera which allows the user to customize parameters such as hue, saturation, brightness, and the like to realize color reproducibility of the user's choice upon recording is available. However, since it is difficult to present the relationship between changes in parameters and those in colors to the user, optimal settings require a user's skill.
As proposals associated with a method of allowing the user to adjust colors with ease, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2004-129226 and 07-320024 are known. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-129226 describes a configuration that executes color conversion processing for converting a designated source color into a designated destination color by designating a desired source color in an image during retouch processing of an image, and designating a desired color as a conversion destination color. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-320024 describes a configuration which designates an arbitrary extraction color (source color) by moving a cursor on a displayed image using a joystick. On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-299115 describes a configuration that captures skin color as a source color to be changed using an image sensing apparatus, and calculates color conversion coefficients based on the captured skin color and skin color reproduction destination value stored in a ROM. Moreover, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-166313 discloses a configuration which converts the color of a region set in a target image such as the lip region or the like using color information acquired from a coloring product by RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).
However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-129226 pertains to the retouch processing of an image, but it does not set color conversion processing upon recording in the image sensing apparatus. Also, this method is not suitable for color conversion processing on a limited user interface like that of the image sensing apparatus, because that method requires the user to designate the source color and destination color using a cursor. The method of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-320024 designates a desired color by moving a cursor on an image. However, this method requires an operation unit for cursor movement, and is not suitable for a digital camera or the like which requires portability. Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-299115, the user selects a desired destination color from several types of destination colors pre-stored in the ROM. That is, the destination colors are limited to several types, and free color conversion cannot be realized. Also, as each destination color is not presented to the user as an image, it is difficult for the user to recognize a conversion destination color. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-166313 specifies a color conversion region in the target image based on region identification information acquired from the coloring product (e.g., a lip rouge), and converts the color of the color conversion region using color information acquired from outside the coloring product. Therefore, the region to be converted cannot be flexibly set.